■ Corruption
Police expand task force
More than 5,000 policemen have been mobilized to assist in a national campaign to prevent vote-buying in the run-up to the March 20 election, a spokesman for the National Police Administration said yesterday. An additional 5,904 policemen have been organized into 1,476 units to join the current force of 154 people in 38 groups which are normally in charge of probing fraud. Members of the force have been equipped with advanced digital video cameras since Jan. 10 to record evidence.
■ Sports
Council focuses on Olympics
The National Council on Physical Fitness and Sports has earmarked NT$80 million to upgrade the competitive edge of local athletes and boost their chances of medals in this year's Olympic Games. A total of 62 athletes have registered to compete in nine pre-event competitions held to test their qualifications for the Athens Olympics in August. The nine sports events include archery, shooting, boxing, weightlifting, taekwondo, table tennis, wresting, soft ball and cycling. The council has also earmarked NT$738 million to help local athletes win medals in the Asia Games and East Asia Games.
■ Economics
Klein joins KMT think tank
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) announced yesterday that Lawrence Klein, the winner of the 1980 Nobel Prize in economics, has agreed to serve as an adviser to the National Policy Research Foundation, a KMT-run think tank. KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) made the announcement after Klein delivered a speech on strategies for Taiwan's economic development in Taipei.Klein, 84, is the think tank's first foreign adviser.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
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